The Element of Surprise: A Study of Children's Book Subscription Boxes in the USA

Authors

Rachel Noorda, Portland State UniversityFollow

Published In

Publishing Research Quarterly

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

6-1-2019

Subjects

Book industry -- Digital humanities

Abstract

Through a series of semi-structured interviews with nine owner/managers of children’s book subscription boxes, this article examines the rise of book subscription boxes in the United States, contextualized within the historical precedent for the subscription model in book publishing as seen in circulating libraries, door-to-door subscription sales, and ebook and audiobook subscription services. In light of Amazon’s 2018 founding of their own children’s subscription book box, this article investigates what makes children’s book subscription boxes succeed and why they appeal to readers. Findings suggest that surprise is key to children’s book subscription box appeal and value.

Rights

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019

Locate the Document

http://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-019-09641-z

DOI

10.1007/s12109-019-09641-z

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/28693

Citation Details

Noorda, R. (2019). The Element of Surprise: A Study of Children’s Book Subscription Boxes in the USA. Publishing Research Quarterly, 1-13.